Black Friday arrives Nov. 29, with Cyber Monday following three days later. It’s all quiet on the Cyber front right now, but the Black Friday deal machine is buzzing. For starters, check out the major Black Friday ads that have been revealed. From there, head to Amazon’s holiday deals, Costco’s massive holiday-sale catalog and Walmart’s roster of early Black Friday deals. We’re also liking a lot of the stuff from Best Buy’s Black Friday ad, which includes some early doorbusters). Be sure not to miss the tail end of Target’s while Target’s two-day preview sale, which wraps up today. You already missed Sam’s Club one-day sale, but rest assured we’ll have the scoop on its real Black Friday sale soon.
Good news: You don’t have to keep tabs on all this madness — we’re doing it for you. We’re closely monitoring all the Black Friday (and, while we’re at it, Cyber Monday) deals between now and early December. And to make life easier, we’re pulling the wheat from the chaff, focusing on the items we think are genuinely good buys. See our preliminary picks below, followed by some general Black Friday info.
Sarah Tew/CNET
An oldie but goodie, the SoundTouch 10 dates back to 2016 (gasp!). But that doesn’t change the fact that this compact Bluetooth-and-Wi-Fi speaker produces surprisingly big, punchy sound and supports multiroom setups. It’s on par with the likes of Sonos speakers, but now without the hefty price tag.
Read the Bose SoundTouch 10 review.
Mint Mobile
Borrowing a page from McDonald’s, which now charges the same price for any size drink, Mint Mobile will sell you any of its 3-month plans for $15 per month. Why? Tough to say, but the obvious winner here is the 12GB option, which normally runs $25 per month (already an excellent deal).
For those unfamiliar with the carrier, Mint offers service for GSM-compatible phones (otherwise known as those compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile). You pay in either 3-, 6- or 12-month blocks.
Pro tip: There’s currently a $20 cash-back option available from both Rakuten and TopCashback, but the terms are confusing. (Anyone who’s able to figure them, leave a comment.)
Amazon
Between Bose, Sony and now Apple AirPods Pro, active noise-canceling headphones are all the rage. And now, we’re seeing an old favorite from Sennheiser that’s currently just $80 at Amazon — down from $200. We reviewed the nearly identical Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC two years ago, and found it to be a formidable Bose competitor at that $200 price. That model is down to $108 on Amazon, but this model — the HD 4.50 SE — has literally the exact same specs, aside from some cosmetic color differences.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The Apple HomePod faces increasingly stiff competition in the smart-speaker market, starting with Amazon’s new, similar Echo Studio. But remember, too, that the HomePod started out at $349; this is your chance to get it for considerably less. If you want wonderful sound and already live in Apple’s ecosystem, look no further.
Read our Apple HomePod review.
Lenovo
This feels like the kind of deal that would normally be a doorbuster, requiring you to stand in line outside the store for a couple hours. This Chromebook features 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge — meaning it’s suitable for tablet duty as well. The screen may be on the smaller side, but that didn’t stop this from scoring a 4.7-star average rating from over 1,800 buyers.
Best Buy
Instant Pot, instant schmot. This 6-quart model from Best Buy’s house brand does all the same things, and you just can’t get cheaper than $30. The user reviews tell the important story: The cooker received a 4.7-star average rating from over 1,900 buyers.
If you’re not convinced this is a must-have kitchen appliance (trust me, it is), here are five reasons you need an Instant Pot — and some great recipes to get you started.
César Salza/CNET
The Fossil Sport hit the scene just about a year ago, bringing oodles of features to the Wear OS watch-scape for a reasonable $275. The specs include NFC for Google Pay, GPS, 5 ATM water resistance, a heart-rate monitor and an altimeter. This pre-Black Friday sale drops the Sport (light blue only) to just $149, the best price we’ve seen yet.
Arcade1Up
Most of Arcade1Up’s machines cost around $300. This one — which is a three-quarter-size version of the original — costs $170 once it’s in your shopping cart. And it looks, sounds and plays exactly like the old arcade machines. Walmart is also offering the Centipede edition for $180.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When Lenovo introduced the IdeaPad 330s last year, it started at $500. Now, you can get a nice midrange configuration — with a quad-core AMD processor, a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM — for under $350. Equipped with a nice 15.6-inch display, the 330s has thinner-than-usual bezels and an aluminum lid. This is a good deal on a solid entry-level laptop. (Note, however, that it was previously $329, so watch for another sale if you’re not in a hurry.)
Read our Lenovo IdeaPad 330s preview.
Walmart
A 65-inch TV for $380? Seems like only yesterday that would have been considered a steal on a 55-inch model. It’s an entry-level model, to be sure, with no smarts built in; you’ll have to BYO Fire TV or Roku streamer. Thankfully, it has four HDMI inputs, so there’s plenty of room for all the gear you might want to plug in.
Living DNA
Curious about your origin story? Living DNA’s test is quite comprehensive; it covers your overall ancestry, motherline and fatherline. Plus, family DNA-matching is now included as well. (Take note, however, that this same kit will be $10 less from Nov. 18 to Dec. 3.)
Amazon
This is the lowest price to date on Amazon’s kid-friendly tablet, which includes a heavy-duty case (with stand) and two-year worry-free warranty. You also get a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a $36 value. The tablet is available with your choice of three case colors: blue, pink and purple.
You can also get the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet for $90, which is $40 off the regular price. It’s slightly faster and slightly larger, but otherwise pretty much the same experience for your kids.
Yes! The previous-generation iPad 9.7 hung around at this price for a good chunk of 2019 — until the newer 10.2 model came along at $329. Although the 128GB model has routinely been on sale for $299, this is the first dip we’ve seen yet for the 32GB version. That’s not a ton of storage, but for many users it’s enough.
This one-day-only price expired yesterday, Nov. 7, but I guarantee we’ll see similar deals in the weeks to come. We already know that it’s definitely coming to Target for Black Friday.
Read our iPad 10.2 review.
Arcade1Up
This head-to-head machine brings 12 classic arcade games to your den, including half a dozen Street Fighter titles, Final Fight and Commando. And for a limited time you’ll also score $70 in Kohl’s Cash, which is basically free money to use on additional store purchases. (Note that it must be used by Nov. 14.)
Although the product description seems to refer to the upright version of this unit, the model number is definitely for the cocktail table.
That’s it for now, but check back often as we update this post based on new deals and availability. In the meantime, here’s everything else you need to know about this major shopping event.
What date is Black Friday 2019?
Black Friday always falls on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, it takes place on Friday, Nov. 29.
When is Cyber Monday 2019?
It falls the Monday after Black Friday — in this case, Monday, Dec. 2.
When will Black Friday sales actually start?
It varies from store to store, but expect to see plenty of sales that kick off well before Thanksgiving. Indeed, some stores unveil “Black November” sales that span the entire month, while others will kick-start their Black Friday events early. We’ll post all the details as we get them.
Why is it called ‘Black Friday’?
This is borderline urban-legend stuff. Some say Black Friday dates back to the early 1950s, when stores would kick off the Christmas shopping season with big sales. So big, in fact, that annual store profits would often tip into “the black” (meaning no longer “in the red,” which is accounting parlance for losing money) once all the receipts were tallied. Or: So big that traffic would get so snarled, policemen dubbed the day “Black Friday.”
Find out more, and get the scoop on Cyber Monday as well, in Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: What’s the difference?
How to find ‘leaked’ Black Friday ads
In years past, a variety of Black Friday sites have dedicated themselves to revealing leaked newspaper circulars in the days and weeks ahead of the big Thanksgiving sales. Those are all still around, but many of the big stores have chosen to “leak” the ads on their own sites, revealing the contents of what will be on sale for bargain hunters who like to plan ahead.
Last year, some stores shared these ads as early as late October, and there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. As always, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Black Friday ads, sharing them as we find them, so bookmark this post and check CNET proper for all the relevant ad info.
Where can I find great deals in the meantime?
So glad you asked! Here are some CNET deal resources you should bookmark:
- The Cheapskate, a daily, curated, sometimes exclusive collection of the web’s best deals from Rick “The Cheapskate” Broida (that’s me) and CNET’s growing team of bargain-hunters.
- CNET Deals, a categorical listing of every single deal we can lay our hands on.
Watch this:
How to win Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2019
2:25
Tamara Palmer, Justin Jaffe and Matt Elliott contributed to this story.
Originally published last year. Regularly updated with new information.